


where we start

by kinos



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: College AU, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Tutor AU, but not really Enemies and not really Lovers, huidawn are there for 5 secs, u get what i mean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 06:35:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13630683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinos/pseuds/kinos
Summary: “Look, you need to pass your semester and I need the extra credits from this tutoring. I need your help and you need mine, so can you just do both of us a favour and sit down already?”Hongseok doesn’t want to, he really doesn’t, but as tiny and seemingly harmless as he is, this Jinho looks like he’d bite him if Hongseok tried to leave, so he supposes he could sit through one lesson, a defeated sigh leaving his lungs as he slumps into the chair opposite Jinho.“Thank you,” Jinho says, though it doesn’t sound like he means it, and he takes his seat again. “Now, where do we start?”





	where we start

**Author's Note:**

> this is for the cc anon who requested a jinhongseok college au with senior!jinho and junior!hongseok and a special shoutout to ao3 user acid_punk for giving me the tutor/tutee/breaking fingers (arms) idea Thank You So Much anyway i wrote this in like a day so i'm really sorry if it's not Great but i hope you like it!!! and rated t for language that's all
> 
> (also i almost failed chemistry in college too so haha hashtag Relatable)

_Jo Jinho._

Hongseok reads over the name of his supposed tutor one last time before he pockets the little piece of paper, heading into the library where he’s supposed to meet this Jinho person. Really, he doesn’t even know why he’s here. Sure, his grades aren’t exactly exemplary right now – he blames it on the endless parties that his friends keep inviting him to and his lack of resolve when it comes to saying no to them – but he could boost them up by the end of the semester without a tutor. It’s a waste of both their times, honestly.

Still, he has to show up to this first meeting at the very least, out of courtesy, and he figures he’ll use it as a chance to tell whoever his tutor is that it’s a nice effort that they’re making to help him, but it really isn’t necessary. Maybe he’ll offer to buy them a coffee or something for their time.

He heads up to top floor of the library, noticing a few groups of people here and there, and he sees someone hunched over a table with books upon books spread out across it, a pen tucked in between his lips.

“Jinho?” Hongseok asks, approaching the table, and the guy looks up at him, eyes wide like he’s confused. Maybe he got the wrong person-

“Oh!” The pen clatters to the table from his mouth and he stands, putting on a friendly smile. “You must be Hongseok, right? My tutee?”

Hongseok looks down at him – like, _literally,_ he has to crane his neck downwards to meet his gaze – and his voice is hesitant when he answers, “Yeah, that’s me but… I thought I was supposed to be tutored by a senior.”

Jinho’s eyebrows raise. “I am a senior.”

“Are you sure?” Hongseok blurts out, eyes flicking over him from head to toe. “I mean, no offence, Jinho, but you’re kinda… _small._ ”

The smile falls right off of Jinho’s face, replaced by a sour look that really doesn’t suit his boyish features, and he straightens his shoulders, as if it would make any difference.

“Well, no offence,” he almost spits back, arms crossing over his chest. “But you’re a Chemistry major who’s failing Chemistry.” With a sharp click of his tongue, he adds, “And that’s sunbae, to you.”

Hongseok is taken aback by the sudden hostility, holding his hands up in surrender, and he’s quick to say, “Sorry, sunbae, I didn’t mean to-” He huffs out a breath, head shaking, hands dropping. “It doesn’t matter, because I don’t actually need tutoring, so if we could just forget this whole thing happened…”

“What do you mean you don’t need tutoring?” Jinho asks, scoffing in disbelief. “With grades as embarrassing as yours, you won’t even make it to your next semester.”

“It’s not _that_ bad-”

“It is, actually,” Jinho interrupts, looking rather annoyed now and he suppresses an eye roll, breathing in slowly. “Look, you need to pass your semester and I need the extra credits from this tutoring. I need your help and you need mine, so can you just do both of us a favour and sit down already?”

Hongseok doesn’t want to, he really doesn’t, but as tiny and seemingly harmless as he is, this Jinho looks like he’d bite him if Hongseok tried to leave, so he supposes he could sit through _one_ lesson, a defeated sigh leaving his lungs as he slumps into the chair opposite Jinho.

“Thank you,” Jinho says, though it doesn’t sound like he means it, and he takes his seat again. “Now, where do we start?”

—

Hongseok won’t admit it, but the tutoring session had been surprisingly helpful. Despite the fact that for the entire hour and a half, Jinho still looked like he wanted to punch Hongseok in the gut for the comment about his size, when it came to teaching, he delivered his lesson like he knew exactly what he was talking about, in a way that even Hongseok could understand. For the first time this semester, Hongseok actually knew what the fuck he was learning.

But as helpful as it was, it’s still an hour and a half of his day, twice a week, that he could be spending with his friends or in the gym. He just couldn’t afford to continue these lessons.

So Hongseok doesn’t show up for the next session, or the one after, or the one after that either, and from the lack of short grumpy seniors hounding him about missing his lessons, he’s assuming that Jinho probably thought _‘good riddance!’_ and decided to cancel the whole thing too.

Except his professor calls him over after a lecture one day to say, “Hongseok! I heard your tutoring sessions have been going well. Jinho’s a good teacher, right?”

And now Hongseok’s just fucking confused.

Surely Jinho would’ve told him that Hongseok stopped taking the lessons, that he didn’t even show up after the first session, but…

He flashes a tight smile, nodding his head, and he hopes he doesn’t sound too fake when he answers, “Yeah! Yeah, it’s been great. Really helpful. I’m actually headed over to the library to meet him now so-”

He leaves before his professor can ask anything else, before he can catch him in his lie, rushing straight over to the library and he’s panting by the time that he reaches the top floor, not surprised to see Jinho sat at the exact same table that he was at the first day.

“Why-”

Hongseok doesn’t even get to finish his sentence before Jinho says, “I told you I need those extra credits.” He doesn’t even bother looking up at Hongseok, eyes trained solely on the book in his hands. “So as much as I don’t appreciate you ditching me like that, I still need you to continue these lessons.”

“But-”

Jinho lifts his head, a knowing eyebrow cocked. “And your midterms are coming up, aren’t they?”

Hongseok’s nostrils flare at how smug he is, how the guy just seems to know that he’s been struggling with the topics that they hadn’t managed to go over in the first session, that maybe, just maybe, he _does_ need a tutor after all. And before he can even open his mouth to speak, Jinho kicks out the chair from under the table, an expectant look on his face.

“Well?”

Hongseok considers it, jaw clenching and he leans across the table, palm pressed flat on the surface, his voice almost threatening when he says, “Make me understand organic chemistry and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Jinho smiles, obviously pleased, and he stands to level with Hongseok, his face dangerously close, his own hand brushing against the tips of Hongseok’s fingers and for a second there, it almost seems like he’s looking at Hongseok’s lips.

And he says, “Deal.”

—

Hongseok doesn’t know how he did it, but not only did Jinho make him understand organic chemistry, he made it seem _easy._ Really, he made everything seem easy, like Chemistry was child’s play and Hongseok was just an idiot. Sometimes he feels like keeping Jinho in his pocket so he could whisper answers to him during his exams. Sometimes he feels like Jinho would break his fingers one by one if he ever told him that

He shudders at the thought and just as he reaches out for a sandwich, his hand bumps into another, making him gasp from the sudden contact.

“Sorry, I-” Hongseok stops short when he sees who it is. “Oh, it’s you.”

Jinho glances between him and the sandwich, the last one on the counter, eyebrows slowly rising to disappear under his fringe. “Were you going to take that or what?”

He was actually, and really, he _should_ take it, just to spite him, but since the guy had helped him a lot, Hongseok just shakes his head. “No, you can have it.” His lips curl into a smirk. “Age before beauty, right?”

Jinho narrows his eyes at that, but he grabs the sandwich anyway, turning to pay and Hongseok sighs to himself. He guesses he’ll just starve today.

“Hey-”

He feels Jinho’s hand on his shoulder, turning back to see him standing there with the sandwich in his hand, fidgeting nervously.

“Wanna split?” is what he asks, and Hongseok feels a fond smile twitch at the corners of his mouth.

“Yeah, okay.”

They go over to sit on one of those benches under the big trees outside, on the far ends like they’re strangers, quietly nibbling on their shared sandwich.

“Nice day,” Hongseok tries to say to break the awkward tension, trying not to swallow his food too loudly.

Jinho nods, wiping at his mouth, avoiding Hongseok’s eyes. “Yeah, it is.”

They fall into silence again, both looking at their feet, unable to find anything to say as if they hadn’t spent every other day together now, the tutoring sessions being bumped up to three times a week to cover as much of the syllabus as they could before the midterms. Still, to be fair, this is the first time that they’ve seen each other outside of those lessons, and Hongseok’s unsure how to go about it.

“Um…” he starts, clearing his throat to grab Jinho’s attention, the elder peeking at him from behind his half-eaten sandwich. “I think I did okay on my midterms. I mean, we haven’t gotten our results back yet, but I could actually answer most of it so…”

“That’s good,” Jinho says, offering a small smile, putting his food down to properly look at Hongseok. “Really good, Hongseok.”

Hongseok nods, instinctively shuffling closer now that they’re actually talking. “Yeah, so, uh, I just- I wanted to say thanks, sunbae-”

“Hyung is fine,” Jinho cuts in, waving his hand, a light chuckle coming out of him and he moves closer too, that uncomfortable distance between them growing smaller. “I was just being a jerk back then. I really don’t mind it.”

“Oh.” Hongseok feels that odd smile pull at his lips again, head ducking politely when he says, “Okay then, hyung. Thank you. I mean it.”

Jinho’s own smile widens at that and for the first time since they’ve met, he actually sounds genuine when he says, “You’re welcome.”

—

The next time Hongseok sees Jinho outside of their tutoring sessions, it’s at one of those parties that his friends drag him out to, complaining that he hasn’t been spending enough time with them, that he’s been so busy studying and studying and studying.

“Just because you’re trying to impress your cute tutor,” Hyojong groans, literally yanking on his arm as they make their way through a crowded living room, his best friend already near wasted.

Hongseok’s jaw drops at the accusation. “I’m not trying to impress him! I’m just trying to pass the semester.” With a huff, he adds, “And how would you even know if he’s cute or not?”

Hyojong rolls his eyes, a bored buzz in his tone when he answers, “If you were just trying to pass the semester, you wouldn’t spend half an hour fixing your hair in front of the mirror every time you have a lesson with him.” He hands him a cup of beer. “Just admit that you like him already.”

Hongseok opens his mouth to answer, but he has nothing to say, knowing that Hyojong has a point, so he downs the drink instead, wincing at how warm it is. Maybe he should stay away from the drinks tonight.

“I’m not trying to impress him,” he says again, trying to sound firm, but they both know he’s not fooling anyone. As much as he’d hate to admit it, there was something satisfying about the way Jinho’s face lit up every time he told him he aced a quiz or did well on an assignment, and Hongseok found himself wanting to work even harder, to do even better, just to see that spark in Jinho’s eyes again and again and again. And well, _okay,_ maybe he is trying to impress him a little. But-

“Not trying to impress who?”

Hongseok whirls around to see Jinho standing behind him, bottle in his hand, smile on his face, and before he can help it, he sputters out, “You.” His eyes go wide when he hears what he’d just said, head shaking quickly. “I- I mean, _you,_ Jinho! Hyung! You’re here! Hey!”

“Hi,” Jinho says to him, then tiptoeing to look over his shoulder, he grins at the other boy, tipping his bottle in hello. “Hyojongie.”

“What’s up, hyung?” Hyojong answers, like they’re old friends, and Hongseok shoots a quick glance back at him, voice low when he hisses, “How do you two know each other?”

Hyojong just gives him a cheeky look, slinging an arm around him to pull him close, whispering, “Didn’t I tell you? He’s Hwitaek’s roommate.”

If Jinho is Hwitaek’s roommate… then that means they’ve been living across the hall from each other this whole time. Hongseok doesn’t know what to do with that information.

“I’ll leave you two to it,” Hyojong announces, patting Hongseok’s chest, nodding at Jinho, before he turns to leave, presumably to find his boyfriend who probably knows all about Jinho being his tutor too. Fuck.

Hongseok faces Jinho again, the bitterness of the beer still on his tongue, and he rocks back and forth on his heels to stop himself from jittering. Before things get awkward the way it did that time they shared lunch, he’s quick to ask, “So, how come this is the first time I’m seeing you at these parties?”

“I don’t usually go,” Jinho says, leaning against the wall. “It’s not really my thing, but Hwitaek convinced me to come for once and well, I didn’t have anything to do tonight anyway so…”

“Ah…”

“What about you? You always party like…” Jinho waves a vague hand at the whole scene. “...this?”

Hongseok lets out a small laugh, lifting a shoulder in response. “I used to, which explains the shitty grades,” he answers truthfully. “But not so much anymore. I don’t really have the time.” His tone slips into something teasing, a coy smile on his face, leaning forward to loom over the elder. “You see, I have this tutor… He’s a little strict.”

Jinho matches his smirk, tilting his head up to meet his eyes, slightly amused, but he plays along. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, I don’t think he’d like it very much if I was out partying when I should be studying,” Hongseok says with an exaggerated sigh, pulling a full-on grin from Jinho, definitely amused now.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind it once in a while,” Jinho shoots back, and his hand reaches out to nudge Hongseok’s arm. “Maybe you could even bring him with you sometimes.”

Hongseok feels goosebumps rise where Jinho had touched him, and he hopes that the room is dim enough to hide the blush that’s definitely spreading on his face right about now, and he barely manages to breathe out, “Yeah, maybe.”

They’re standing a lot closer than they started out with, Jinho almost pressed up against him, his head still angled up towards him, eyes on his lips like that day back at the library, and if Hongseok wanted to, he could just lean down and ki-

“Jinho!”

They jump apart, both snapping out of whatever daze they were in, Hongseok’s heart hammering in his ribcage, Jinho ducking his head in embarrassment, tearing his gaze away from him.

“Oh, hey, Hongseokie!” Hwitaek greets him, the elder bouncing with energy, and Hongseok can only manage a weak, “Hey, hyung.”

“Were you two in the middle of something?” he asks, and Jinho is the first to say, “No! No, not at all. We were just- We were talking.”

Hongseok’s lips pull tight, giving Hwitaek a stiff nod. “Yeah, we were just talking.”

“So you don’t mind if I steal him for a bit, do you?” Hwitaek tugs Jinho to his side, putting an arm around him. “This is the first time he’s come to a party since our first year, and he owes me a million dances.”

Jinho tries to laugh at that, but it comes out more like a wheeze, and he still refuses to look at Hongseok, making him feel this weird ache in his chest, so before it gets worse, Hongseok says, “No, go ahead. You two have fun. I’ll just hang around, go find the other guys maybe.”

If either of them notice anything off about him, they don’t mention it, Hwitaek simply saying, “Okay!” before he makes an excited noise, pulling Jinho away, the two of them disappearing between dancing bodies.

Hongseok falls back against the wall once they’re out of sight, his shoulders slumping in disappointment. But he doesn’t even know why he feels disappointed, really. It’s not like he was expecting anything to happen between him and Jinho. It’s not like he _wanted_ anything to happen between them. Right?

He shakes it off, deciding to look for his other friends, and he feels better once Shinwon’s telling them all how one of his professors had shown up to class hungover in nothing but his pajamas, only to realise that it wasn’t even his lecture that day, the chorus of laughter from him and his friends enough to make that weird ache go away.

But it comes back again later that night just as Hongseok is about to leave, Hwitaek chasing after him before he steps out, a drunken Jinho hanging off of him.

“Hongseok-ah! Wait up!” Hwitaek is barely managing to stand upright himself, trying his best to keep them both on their feet. “Do you mind taking Jinho back to your place for the night?”

“What-”

“He’s not used to drinking this much and Hyojong doesn’t wanna go back yet, so-”

Hongseok should say no, should just tell him to find someone else to take care of Jinho, but Hwitaek’s got that pleading look in his eyes that makes it hard for Hongseok to deny him, and as if things couldn’t get even more complicated than they already are, he adds, “Please? I mean, the only reason he came to the party anyway was because I told him that you’d be here!”

Hongseok isn’t sure how to respond to that, half flattered, half confused, and he can feel heat rise to his cheeks again, so before he starts burning red, he says, “Fine!” and he takes Jinho from Hwitaek, holding him up against his side, sucking in a sharp breath when Jinho immediately latches onto him.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Hwitaek says over and over until Hongseok waves him off, heading out of the stuffy place, finally able to breathe properly once they’re out on the streets.

And Jinho must be really drunk, because he’s practically falling asleep on Hongseok, his legs dragging slowly, body sliding down every now and again, making them both stumble over their own feet. They get as far as the next block before Hongseok gets too frustrated by the deadweight, grumbling, “For God’s sake, Jinho-” and he decides to just scoop the guy up in his arms, unsurprised by how light he is.

The entire way back to their apartment building, he tries not to think about the adorable way Jinho tucks his arms against his own chest, the way he presses his tiny head into Hongseok’s shoulder, the way he really is so fucking cute.

He tries not to think about the way Jinho doesn’t want to let go of him when he goes to put him down on the couch, the way he clutches onto his hand when he tucks him in, the way his voice is all mumbly and soft when he suddenly calls out, “Hongseokie?”

“Hmm?”

“You know…” He yawns, face scrunching up, nuzzling against his hand. “You’re kinda cute. Even if you’re a little bit dumb.”

Despite himself, Hongseok smiles at that, that ache in his heart turning into something warm, and he squeezes Jinho’s hand once before he lets go.

“Go to sleep, hyung.”

—

Jinho wakes with a jolt, startled by the unfamiliar surroundings and he lands on the floor with a yelp, tangled in blankets, head pounding.

“Good morning!” Hongseok chirps rather obnoxiously, grinning down at the elder and he gets a scowl in return.

“Where am I?” Jinho asks, voice groggy, pulling himself back up onto the couch.

“My apartment,” Hongseok answers, a thin smile playing on his lips. “Don’t worry, we’re actually neighbours, your place is just across the hall, so…”

Jinho processes his words, then- “Wait, we didn’t…” He gives Hongseok a suggestive look, alarm in his eyes. “Did we?”

Hongseok pretends to roll his eyes, saying, “No, we didn’t,” and he tries not to feel offended when Jinho huffs in relief, muttering, “Oh, thank God.”

The elder buries his face in his hands then, muffling his pained groan, and Hongseok thinks he hears him say, “I’m never drinking ever again.”

Hongseok offers a cup of tea to him, sitting down beside him, a little closer than he needs to be, really. “Here, it’s ginger. It’ll help.”

Jinho accepts the drink with a small thank you, letting out the softest sigh once he takes a sip, his body melting tiredly against Hongseok’s, and Hongseok doesn’t have the heart to move away. He doesn’t think he wants to.

“I’m really sorry for bothering you like this,” he says, turning his head to give Hongseok an apologetic look, his eyes pooling with worry. “I hope I didn’t do anything stupid last night.”

“Oh, you don’t remember?” Hongseok teases, eyebrow curving up, head tilting.

Jinho gulps, head shaking hesitantly, voice hushed when he says, “Please don’t tell me I threw up on you.”

That gets a laugh out of him, full and loud. “No, you didn’t throw up on me.” With a hint of a smile, he tells him, “You called me cute, though. And dumb.”

“Oh.” Jinho’s face flushes, hiding himself behind the mug, and if he didn’t know better, Hongseok would think that Jinho was actually embarrassed about it. Then, bashful almost, Jinho says, “W-Well, you are.”

“Cute?”

“No, dumb.”

Hongseok glances at him to see if he’s being serious, but he’s met with a cheeky grin, Jinho’s eyes crinkled up and he lets himself laugh again, nudging his side playfully, sarcasm ringing clear when he says back, “Well, _thanks._ ”

It’s quiet again, just the sounds of them drinking their tea, teaspoons clinking against the mugs, until Jinho says, “And you’re cute too, I guess.”

Hongseok hears it, loud and clear, but just because, he feigns innocence when he asks, “I’m sorry, what was that?”

Jinho’s cheeks burn even brighter, gaze shy when he looks up at Hongseok. “ _I said,_ you’re cute too.”

He can’t help the grin that stretches across his face right then, that warmth spreading in his chest once more, making him feel all giddy inside and he finally lets himself admit, “You’re pretty cute yourself, hyung.”

And _ah,_ maybe Hyojong was right. Maybe he does like Jinho after all.

—

Their tutoring sessions become more and more infrequent over the rest of the semester, dropping to only a single lesson once every two weeks, because Jinho has his own studying to do, finals getting closer for the both of them.

“You’re a lot better now, Hongseok-ah,” Jinho tells him when Hongseok tries to complain about the lack of lessons. “You don’t need me anymore. You’ll be fine revising on your own.”

“But-” Hongseok stops himself before he says something embarrassing like, _‘I do need you!’_ and he just accepts the fact with a glum sigh, hanging up the phone and going back to his books.

He’ll never say it, but he does miss seeing Jinho, even if all they ever do is study. He doesn’t mind it, because at least he gets to stare at his tutor while he explains redox reactions and whatnot. Now he’s stuck staring at the black-and-white pictures of the old chemists printed out on the pages of his textbooks, none of them as cute Jinho, and on top of that, being at home means that he’s constantly got Hyojong harassing him about his obvious crush on the guy.

“Just ask him out!” Hyojong says when Hongseok spends another miserable night cooped up in his room with heated up leftovers and notes that make no sense.

“No way,” Hongseok replies, throwing a balled up piece of paper at his friend in a weak attempt to make him leave. “Once we finish the tutoring, once finals start, he won’t even wanna see me anymore.”

Hyojong tosses the paper back at him, hitting him square on the forehead. “Of course he will, you idiot. He likes you!”

Hongseok wants to believe him, just to make himself feel a little bit better, but apart from the party and the morning after, Jinho hadn’t shown any interest in him, not even a hint. Sure, they were a lot friendlier now, no more passive aggressive exchanges that confused Hongseok as to whether the tension he felt was sexual or if Jinho really just hated him, and sometimes, when they had the time, they even chatted about things unrelated to Chemistry, like their surprisingly similar tastes in food and music, but that was about it.

Jinho doesn’t like him, not the way that Hongseok likes him.

“No,” he says again, his face setting tight, dejection settling heavy in his gut. “Now, will you please stop bothering me? I need to study.”

Hyojong looks like he’s about to say something, but he decides against it, simply giving him a shake of his head and a sighed, “Your loss, man.”

Hongseok just shuts the door in his face.

—

Finals had rolled around even quicker than Hongseok expected, and he’d been so busy trying not to fail that he didn’t even have time to think about Jinho. He figured that it was the same for Jinho, because in the days that followed their last exam, he hadn’t heard a word from the senior. See, he’d been right about Jinho not wanting to see him once they were done with tutoring. He just had no reason to.

He knows he could just text Jinho, call him even, or if he’s feeling extra brave, he could take those five little steps across the hall to his apartment and see him in person. But he’s not brave, not at all, so day after day, he wallows in self pity and ignores Hyojong’s unsubtle attempts at inviting him out with Hwitaek, knowing that he just wants him to see Jinho for once. And it’s not that _he_ doesn’t want to, it’s just that he doesn’t think Jinho wants to see him.

And he’d convinced himself that Jinho didn’t want to see him so much that he’s sure he must be dreaming when he opens the door to see the guy standing there, his face lit up with that warm smile of his, saying, “Hi, Hongseok.”

“Hey,” Hongseok says back, sounding breathless, and he wonders if this is real, or if he’s finally lost it.

“Um, can I come in or-”

Hongseok snaps out of his trance, mentally smacking himself, and he’s quick to usher him in. “Yeah, of course, sorry.” He trails after Jinho to their living room, keeping an odd distance between them, like he’s afraid to get too close. Once Jinho’s settled down on the couch, reminding Hongseok of that night that he’d stayed over, he finds the guts to ask, “Uh, so, what’s up, hyung? Did you need something?”

Jinho turns to him, head tilting to the side. “Did you forget what day it is?”

Hongseok has no idea what he’s talking about, shrugging his shoulders, his face blank.

“Your results are out today,” is what Jinho says and _fuck._ That’s right. In trying to put Jinho out of his mind, Hongseok had completely forgotten about his results too, and the fact that it could literally decide whether he’s still gonna be here next semester or if he’ll have to start looking to see whether McDonald’s is hiring.

He takes a few deep breaths before he pulls out his phone, hands shaking just slightly as he tries to log into the university website, his fingers pressing the wrong buttons and Jinho stands, his hands coming up to steady his, giving him a reassuring nod.

Hongseok flashes a grateful smile at him, his nerves building up in him as he waits for his results to load and-

“I passed.”

“You passed?”

Hongseok breaks out into a grin so wide that his cheeks ache, head nodding so hard that he’s afraid it might just fall off, and he screams, “I passed!”

Jinho doesn’t even get a chance to react before Hongseok is sweeping him off of his feet into a hug, spinning him around the room, and Jinho makes a gleeful sound, his arms tight around Hongseok’s neck as they celebrate, Hongseok yelling out endless thank yous to him, Jinho congratulating him again and again. And as soon as Hongseok puts him down, he kisses Jinho.

_Oh no._

Hongseok breaks away from him as quickly as he had kissed him, jaw dropping when he realises what he’s just done, waiting for Jinho to slap him across the face or something, but Jinho just smiles, and he kisses Hongseok back.

_Well then._

Hongseok feels himself smile into the kiss, his hand carding through Jinho’s hair to pull him in closer, the elder stretching up on his tiptoes to kiss him deeper, his own hands locking behind Hongseok’s neck, all the tension that had built up between them the entire semester finally relieved and-

“I told you he liked you too.”

Hongseok looks over his shoulder to see Hyojong leaning against the doorframe, an unimpressed look on his face, Hwitaek giving them both a thumbs up from behind him. And before Hongseok can go smack them for interrupting their moment, Jinho lets out a small giggle, pulling Hongseok back in for another kiss, his lips sweet and soft and everything that Hongseok imagined they would be.

And when Jinho looks at him with that spark in his eyes that he loves so much, Hongseok thinks to himself, _this is where we start._

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are very much appreciated!!
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ao3kino) or [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/ao3kino) <3


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